Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication. A typical wireless data system, or network, provides multiple users access to one or more shared resources. A system may use a variety of multiple access techniques such as frequency division multiplexing (FDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), and others. Examples of wireless networks include cellular-based data systems. The following are several such examples: (1) the “TIA/EIA-95-B Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System” (the IS-95 standard), (2) the standard offered by a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP) and embodied in a set of documents including Document Nos. 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, and 3G TS 25.214 (the W-CDMA standard), (3) the standard offered by a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2) and embodied in “TR-45.5 Physical Layer Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems” (the IS-2000 standard), and (4) the high data rate (HDR) system that conforms to the TIA/EIA/IS-856 standard (the IS-856 standard).
Hereafter, a wireless communication device (WCD) includes, but is not limited to a “user equipment” (UE), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, pager, or any other type of device capable of operating in a wireless environment. When referred to hereafter, a base station (BS) includes but is not limited to a “Node-B”, an “e-NB”, a site controller, an access point (AP) or any other type of interfacing device in a wireless environment.
An AP is a station or device which provides a wireless access for devices to establish a wireless connection with a LAN, and establishes a part of a wireless LAN (WLAN). If the AP is a fixed device on a WLAN, the AP is a station which transmits and receives data. The AP permits connection of a WCD to a network, provided that the WLAN itself has a connection to the network.
Typically only the best available frame is selected based on the quality metric associated with the arriving frames. In a network implemented with multiple fixed stations, such as base stations or access points, it is generally the case that an access terminal communicates with one fixed station. In the case of a clear communication link, this is generally adequate. In situations where the communication link is weak, the communication with a single station can result in reduced signal quality.